Hank Blalock's minor league deal with the Rays allows him to opt out tomorrow if he's not on the Rays' 25-man roster. According to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, the Rays have "until after Friday’s exhibition to put him on the roster."
Topkin spoke to Blalock, who suggested he'd leave baseball before playing in the minors:
"I don't have any plans on playing minor-league baseball this year. At this time in my life, if there's no major-league opportunities for me then I'll find something else to do."
Topkin explains that the Rays are currently choosing between Blalock and Reid Brignac, with Brignac offering more positional flexibility. When Matt Joyce recovers from an elbow strain, the roster picture will get even muddier. Employing two DHs in Blalock and Pat Burrell wouldn't make things easy for manager Joe Maddon. Burrell could be released at some point, though that's just speculation on my part.
Not that I’m normally cynical, but damn he sounds like a crybaby. Fine, Hank, take your glove and go home. If you were good enough to be on a major league team right now, you would be. If you can’t be bothered enough to go to the minor leagues and show that your 2009 season was an aberration rather than your actual talent level, then you get what you deserve. Have a nice life after baseball.
If Tampa releases Blalock, or he opts out of his contract he would be yet another option better than David Ortiz for Boston, who in games I have watched this spring at least on MLB, still can’t catch up to average FB’s even.
Even though he was a victim of the free agent market, he still should be on the 25-man roster in my opinion. 3 Reasons:
If he DH’s, he can bat against right handers, something that Pat Burrell doesn’t do all that well.
Talk about positional flexibility? Reid Brignac only plays two positions…Ben Zobrist can take over Brignac’s flexibility. Hank Blalock plays 2 positions as well. 1B and 3B.
Blalock is a lefty power bat so late in the game if you need that lefty with power (unlike Brignac) here he is!
But in this case, positional flexibility means more than simply how many you can play. Brignac can play SS and 2B, and apparently can do so very well, while Blalock can only play the IF corners, and rather poorly. Plus, the Rays have others (Aybar for one, and possibly Brignac at 3B as well) who can play the corners but the SS options are less attractive defensively.
As for power, no doubt Blalock is more likely to homer, but I think people are underestimating Brignac’s power. He hits lots of doubles and has had solid home run minor league seasons in years past.
I do think the Rays will hang onto Blalock though, and consider it a reasonable decision. As for his character, it is obnoxious of fans to criticize players who have their own priorities as far as their careers are concerned. It comes no doubt from the mythical notion of the sacrificing team player who only cares about the team’s success. In reality this is a career like any other to players, and they have every right to act so as to maximize their own sense of success, at least when not on the field.
A tough call for the Rays. Blalock is a nice power bat to come off the bench and DH at times, but he can’t do much in the field other than play first and maybe get a little time at third if the Rays want to take that chance. Plus his OBP last year was atrocious, something at .277 if my memory serves me correctly.
So the Rays can pick an up and coming Brignac who can play middle infield with doubles power, or the power hitting left handed Blalock who has limited defensive value and can’t walk.
At this point since Zobrist can cover just about any position on the field and Burrell is a huge question mark going into this season, I would take Blalock.
He does sound a bit spoiled to say he wouldn’t go to the minors. But I think it will work. I think this forces Tampa to keep him. And from hearing Maddon and Friedman speak, I think they will keep him. The big question is Burrell. As a Rays fan I pray they release him. Nobody likes to waste 9 million, but they’ll be wasting 70 million if they keep him in the lineup and kill any hopes for a good record.
He does sound a bit spoiled to say he wouldn’t go to the minors. But I think it will work. I think this forces Tampa to keep him. And from hearing Maddon and Friedman speak, I think they will keep him. The big question is Burrell. As a Rays fan I pray they release him. Nobody likes to waste 9 million, but they’ll be wasting 70 million if they keep him in the lineup and kill any hopes for a good record.
Blalock has had a good spring and will find employment (Mets, Pirates?) somewhere. He comes off as whiney, but there is no reason for him to spend the year in the minors when there are teams that need him.
So…why sign a minor league deal in the first place?
Because thats all he could get. Its better signing a minor league deal and competing for a roster spot than sitting on the free agent market.